I have owned a Reelmaster fairway mower for 7 years, and have never had to send my reels out to be trued, and sharpened, I have always done it my self.
I would love to have them overhauled annually, as the gulf courses do, but at $150 to $250 per head, and having 5 total, that is not going to happen.
There is a learning curve, so even if you understand what you have to do, you will still probably mess it up, before you make it better.
Backlapping is the simplest way to sharpen the edges, and is usually done on a weekly basis if your using them 40 hrs. a week.
To backlap, you need to be able to turn the reels backwards, at a low speed. If your unit is not powered, you will need to find a way to make a rig that can do that. Basically, while the reel is spun slowly backwards, the bed knife is adjusted to tighten the gap between it and the reel, and a lapping compound is brushed on the reels, regrinding the edges. Re-tightening, and regrinding, is done as necessary, until the reel spins freely, and cuts paper easily, when hand spun forwards.
During the annual service, the reels are routinely removed, and reground to true the surface across the width, so it is as flat as possible. I have found that using a a block of wood, with self adhesive sandpaper, I can true mine, while the are spinning backwards, in the machine. Then, I backlap, and adjust the bedknife.
It is important to understand they do not need to be adjusted tight to cut grass well, they just need to be sharp. A tight reel will wear the bedknife, and reel quickly. They do need to be just tight enough to cut paper, and then you can back them off slightly from there.
If I could show you all this, it's really not complicated. But, difficult to figure out on your own.
